Actually, Dad Was a Hero

Chapter 23: Breakthrough

The vibration was felt before the sound.

“Something… is coming!”

Jin Beom-Min shouted, sensing the tremors through the roof of the car he gripped tightly.

The next moment, zombies poured out from the alley like a flooded stream overflowing from heavy rain.

“Oh, shit!”

‘Ogre’ hurriedly turned the steering wheel to avoid the wave of zombies, but it was no use.

From the next alley, and the next, hundreds of zombies surged out like waves.

“Just run them over!”

Keeeeeeng!

Jin Beom-Min’s sword emitted a high-pitched sound again.

The blade vibrated subtly with the rapidly infused mana, and a long, bluish energy undulated.

The concentration of mana grew denser, but the length of the sharp energy didn’t decrease at all.

He intended to cover both power and length by increasing the amount of mana infused several times over.

Crack!

He swung his sword, and a thunderous sound roared.

The wave of zombies rushing in from the front exploded. Or rather, it appeared to explode.

Hundreds of zombies were cut in half at once, and the blood spray that erupted in all directions looked like an explosion.

“Kreeeeeek!”

Rumble! Crash!

Buildings and vehicles, sliced along with the zombies, collapsed and fell.

Immediately after, Jin Beom-Min pulled his sword back and thrust it forward with force.

Whoosh!

His thrust didn’t pierce anything. However, the bodies of the fallen zombies were crushed and pushed aside by the powerful wave of mana that crossed the air.

A clear path opened in front of the speeding van. A path carpeted in crimson blood.

“Wow…”

“Ugh, I think I’m gonna puke…”

“Isn’t that guy some kind of human weapon?”

“Damn, he’s like a walking heavy machinery!”

Swoooosh!

Red clouds rose from the tires of the van racing down the bloody path.

“I think I’m smelling all the blood I’ll ever smell in my life today.”

‘Sandman’ replied to ‘Reaper’ who grumbled.

“Well, it’s too early to conclude. We haven’t even gone halfway yet.”

“Ugh, even my period isn’t this bad…”

“Hey, isn’t that sexual harassment?”

“Why is that sexual harassment?”

“It’s embarrassing for me!”

“What, now you’re being shy?”

“They’re coming again!”

Another horde of zombies rushed in from the distance. This time, it appeared to be over several hundred again.

“They’re coming from behind too!”

‘Imp’, who looked out the window and checked the back, shouted and raised his light machine gun.

“Cease fire! Conserve ammo!”

At ‘Sandman’s order, ‘Imp’ put his gun back down with a click of his tongue.

“‘Jin’, the path…!”

“Oh man, today’s a bit tough!”

Jin Beom-Min grumbled, but he once again infused his sword with mana.

Keeeeeeng!

The crude sword once again emitted an earsplitting high-pitched sound.

******

“Is that the ‘Swordman’?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Incredible power… With that much, he’s equivalent to a company… no, a battalion’s firepower on his own.”

“More than that, sir. His technique… whatever that is, it’s effective even against monsters that are impervious to weapons.”

“…It’s a shame we don’t have footage of the previous incidents.”

Two Western men were conversing while looking at a large screen.

One was a middle-aged man with white skin and abundant white hair, and the other was a dark-skinned man wearing glasses.

Projected on the screen they were watching was a van speeding down a blood-soaked road, from a bird’s-eye view.

As a flash of light sparked from the man on the roof of the van once again, a red cloud spread out in front of it like an explosion.

“How on Earth did the Korean government create such a human weapon?”

“We don’t know yet, sir.”

“That kind of… what should I call it, supernatural phenomenon… wasn’t it something our country researched long ago?”

“Back then, the conclusion was that there was no such thing…”

“Then what is that, Director?”

“…I will find out.”

“Hmm…”

The middle-aged man, who had been staring at the screen as if mesmerized, picked up the cigar that was lying on the table and took a puff. However, as if it had been extinguished long ago, no smoke rose.

Putting down the cigar with a bitter taste in his mouth, the man spoke again.

“We need to acquire that kind of power too.”

“…Yes. However…”

The bespectacled man, who was sitting with a respectful demeanor, tried to refute, but the middle-aged man raised his hand and cut him off.

“However, is not necessary. What I want to hear is not ‘This is why we can’t,’ but ‘This is how we can.’”

“…We need more time.”

“Time can be bought with money. And you already have a tremendous budget.”

“…You are right, sir.”

The middle-aged man smiled with satisfaction and turned his gaze away from the screen. The dark-skinned man’s face was clearly reflected in his deep green eyes.

“Do whatever it takes. Being the world’s police is a role God has given us. We can’t let such a small country, with a population less than 1/10th of ours, take that away from us, can we?”

The bespectacled man opened his mouth to retort that it was 1/6th, not 1/10th, but he swallowed his words.

The important thing was not the number, but the message.

And he understood the man’s message perfectly.

“Understood, Mr. President.”

“You may leave now.”

“Yes. Then…”

The bespectacled man stood up quietly and walked across the room, exiting.

On the gleaming, polished marble floor, the eagle clutching the American flag had its eyes shining brightly.

******

“This is it, the last place the knight was sighted!”

‘Sandman’ shouted, and ‘Ogre’ slammed on the brakes. Jin Beom-Min took advantage of the vehicle’s deceleration and jumped out in front of the van.

However, the knight in blue armor was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, there were only two wrecked Leclerc tanks and a few corpses scattered around, their necks severed beyond the possibility of reanimation as zombies.

“…He’s not here.”

“We’ll widen the search area.”

‘Wraith’ said, burying his head deeper into the drone controller.

“We gotta hurry. We don’t know when those things will swarm us again.”

“Yes, yes.”

“The rest of you, keep an eye on all directions. If any other zombies appear, we move immediately.”

At ‘Sandman’s order, ‘Imp’ asked.

“Where to? Are there any more clues?”

“Well… We’ll just have to guess…”

Meanwhile, Jin Beom-Min was examining the traces left on the wrecked Leclerc tank.

The thick armor made of high-strength steel and alloy was cracked open, revealing the interior.

“This is definitely a cut made by a sword.”

At Jin Beom-Min’s words, ‘Sandman’ asked.

“Are you sure?”

“I served in the military too, I know this much.”

“Then where did he go…?”

“Wait a minute…”

Jin Beom-Min began to walk, carefully examining the ground around the tank.

“Did you find any traces?”

“Scratches made by metal… Probably footprints left by the knight.”

“It… could be tracks from the tank’s caterpillar.”

Jin Beom-Min shook his head at ‘Imp’s refutation.

“No. The pattern is different. If he swung his sword from this position… Hmm, the sword is a bit short. Is it an arming sword…?”

Brrr, brrr, brrr—

The side mirror of the heavy van began to tremble slightly. Surely another horde of zombies was approaching from somewhere.

Glancing at the shaking side mirror, ‘Sandman’ asked urgently.

“Can you tell where he went?”

Jin Beom-Min, now squatting on the ground, remained silent.

“‘Jin’, it’s urgent…!”

“Probably… north…!”

“‘Wraith’, north!”

“Yes!”

Then ‘Sandman’ shouted to Jin Beom-Min, who was still squatting on the ground.

“‘Jin’, get in! Let’s find him while we move.”

But it was too late.

Zombies poured out from the alleys on both sides of the van once again.

“Damn it, fire!”

Bang! Bang, bang! Rat-a-tat-tat!

The Ghost Squad members opened fire simultaneously, and the surroundings were filled with gunfire and thick smoke.

Jin Beom-Min, who had been preoccupied with the footprints, quickly climbed onto the roof of the van and swung his sword repeatedly.

“Kueeeeeeek!”

“Kieeee!”

Zombies, pierced by bullets and cut by the blade of mana, fell like leaves.

However, the fallen corpses were trampled by the feet of the oncoming zombies before they could even be crushed, becoming quickly mangled.

“The back!”

“I’ll go!”

‘Sandman’ got up from the passenger seat, crossed the narrow interior of the van, and took position near the back door, opening fire.

Bang, bang! Rat-a-tat-tat! Bang!

Whoosh! Slash!

For a brief moment, only the sounds of gunshots, sword swings, and the grotesque cries of zombies filled the air.

There was no need for aimed shots. The moment a zombie faltered after being pierced by a bullet, Jin Beom-Min’s sword would sweep past, and the zombie would inevitably fall to the ground as a corpse.

The fallen zombies piled up neatly on the ground around the van, forming a circle with a diameter of about 30 meters.

The zombies surging from behind climbed over the bodies of their dead comrades, but they too were cut down by the flying bullets and bluish mana, only adding another layer to the pile of corpses.

After a few minutes, a wall was formed around the van. A circular barrier made of the bones and flesh of dead zombies.

“Reload!”

“Report ammo status!”

“Not good! At this rate, we won’t last 10 minutes!”

Just as the Ghost Squad’s ammunition was more than halfway depleted, good news arrived.

“Found him, the blue armor! 1.7 kilometers north!”

“‘Jin’!”

“I heard you!”

Jin Beom-Min, who had been swinging his sword relentlessly on the roof, replied immediately. Beads of sweat were forming on his usually composed face.

“From now on, I’ll handle it alone! You guys retreat!”

“No, we can’t just…!”

‘Sandman’ tried to protest, but Jin Beom-Min cut him off in a cold tone and shouted.

“This way, it’s harder for me! It’s easier to fight alone!”

It was true.

If Jin Beom-Min had been alone in this situation, things would have been much easier. He would only have to deal with the zombies attacking him.

But now, he had to constantly expend mana and stamina to protect the entire Ghost Squad.

It was impossible for five people and a limited amount of ammunition to deal with all the zombies.

Realizing this, ‘Sandman’ gave the order.

“Damn it. ‘Ogre’, retreat to base!”

“But there’s no way out!”

“‘Jin’ will make one.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of light erupted from the back of the van.

The wall of zombies, piled up more than 3 meters high with corpses, crumbled, creating a path. It was the same technique he used to slice the High Orc in half in Seongsu-dong.

“Go!”

“We’ll go first!”

Screeeech!

As ‘Ogre’ stepped on the accelerator and turned the steering wheel, the tires screeched and the van swerved.

“Oh, shit!”

‘Reaper’, who had been frantically firing in all directions, lost her balance and fell, cursing.

Bang!

At the same time, the shotgun she was holding went off, blasting a fist-sized hole in the van’s ceiling.

“Be careful!”

‘Imp’ grabbed her hand and pulled her up, and ‘Reaper’ snapped back.

“Drive properly, will you! I almost shot one of our own!”

“Damn, scary woman! If you keep that up, I’m leaving you behind!”

Inside the circular wall made of zombie corpses, Jin Beom-Min chuckled.

Even though they bickered like they were going to eat each other alive, they were a well-coordinated team.

Even today, they had performed their roles well in a difficult situation.

And now, everything was in his hands. As always.

Jin Beom-Min raised his sword leisurely and muttered.

“Phew… Now, shall I show you what I can really do?”